


Care and Feeding of a Lio

by Sami_Fire



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Feeding, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:22:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21687502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sami_Fire/pseuds/Sami_Fire
Summary: Lio is shaken by some disturbing news after the events of the movie, and Galo is determined to take his mind off it the fastest way he knows how: food.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 6
Kudos: 116





	Care and Feeding of a Lio

Lio knew he shouldn’t have turned on the news today, but he did all the same.

A report came in of an arson attack on a newly constructed building. On top of this, said building had been slathered in anti-Burnish graffiti before the incident. Even if the Burnish were no more, people still lived in fear of the now nonexistent burning bogeymen. Even if they didn’t see the distinct pink and green flames anymore, paranoia and pointed speculation reigned supreme. 

Lio felt his heart drop like a stone when the special report aired, and the reaction was immediate and keenly visceral. Something seemed to pull inside him, as though he were being choked from the inside. His hands trembled, and he wondered if it was possible for blood to literally run cold.

Even after the news anchors moved on, Lio stared blankly at the TV trying to settle the thoughts spinning in his mind. Why would humans choose to burn down the hard work born of a union between the people of Promepolis and the former Burnish? There was no sense in it. “Why” echoed through his mind in an endless loop, and the more he tried to rationalize the situation the sicker he felt.

Galo woke up late that day, completely forgetting to put on anything but underwear as he strolled out of the bedroom with a massive yawn (a common occurrence). “Mornin’, Lio,” he mumbled, clearly not fully loaded for the day.

It took all of Lio’s remaining mental reserves to squeak out a half-hearted “Morning,” and he wished he hadn’t said anything at all. In his disordered state, even the sound of his own voice sounded too loud inside his head.

As dumb as Galo could be and as often as common sense would pass him by, he was an expert at reading Lio and addressing his emotional pitches. His entire way of carrying himself straightened up, as though he’d been activated out of morning mode by the sound of Lio’s voice. “What happened?”

Lio shook his head and looked down. His fingers were still twitching with anxiety. He didn’t want to have to address what had happened again, lest the tears on the edge of his blurring vision spill out. Instead, he pulled the remote and rewound the news a few minutes to the special report to let Galo see for himself.

“Oh, shit,” Galo muttered when he saw the smoke billowing from the building. “We just put that one up! So why-”

“Don’t talk to me about why,” Lio hissed, swiping at a tear that managed to slip out after all. “There is no why. There is only hate. I can’t fathom it, I just can’t.” He shuddered and set the news back to real time, and more raw reactions spilled out. “They’re fighting demons that don’t exist. Their hate chills me. I can’t believe that they would undo all of our hard work like this!”

Galo shook his head and took a seat next to his companion. “Dammit. I’m so sorry.” He reached over and took Lio’s hands in his own. “You’re shaking! Are you cold, or…?” Another head shake. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” Lio said, his voice still sharp, even as he relished the stable warmth of Galo’s hands enfolding his. “You are not the problem here.”

“I might not be the problem, but I might as well be if I’m not part of the solution.” Galo released Lio’s hands and gave him a pat on the shoulder before standing up. “I can’t do anything about those people right this minute, but I can do something about you.” He went over to the kitchen, and with several loud clanks, he pulled a frying pan out of a cabinet. “It’s pancake time!”

“What?” Lio stared at Galo. He did not feel his dark mood abate at all. “What did I say about throwing food at me every time something went wrong?”

“You didn’t say anything about it,” Galo said, leaving Lio to wonder if he had actually forgotten to mention that. “I’ll even put whipped cream and chocolate sauce on it!”

“That’s overkill,” Lio muttered through a sniff.

“Nah, it’s fine,” Galo said as he waved Lio off. “We’ll both work it off later. Besides, a little exercise will help you get those end… endo… endosomethings that make you feel good!”

“Endorphins,” Lio said with an immediacy that surprised him.

“Dolphins?” Galo’s grin indicated that he wasn’t going to take the big word seriously.

Lio did an awkward snort laugh despite himself. “How dare you try and make me laugh in these trying times.”

“Oh, shush.” Galo seemed to blur slightly as he flitted around the kitchen, getting ingredients ready. “Hold tight. I’ll have something delicious ready for you in a few.”

Lio felt some relief at being left alone with his thoughts while Galo focused on cooking. The sting had worn off some, but he still ached inside, and he was sure that every other former Burnish who’d caught the news felt the same. It wasn’t enough to be instantly declared a terrorist by the government. That hate had to trickle down into individual people, who grouped into clusters and grew that hate like a wicked, poisonous blossom. Thinking about it, he shuddered once more.

Galo caught the shudder. He had a habit of being observant about the most arbitrary things. “You cold over there?”

Lio shook his head and then backpedaled over the gesture. “Maybe just a little.”

“That’s okay! I’ll come over and warm you up. My burning soul ensures that no one is ever cold around me!” Galo laughed at his own shtick and flopped one pancake onto a plate.

“Well, you’re not wrong, I guess,” Lio muttered with an eye roll as he tried to hide a small smile. No matter how sick he felt at the state of affairs, Galo always seemed to clear his senses, like a ray of light piercing the clouds.

A few more minutes passed. Lio felt his nausea and shaking taper off, which allowed him to realize that he was probably hungry. His attention wandered over to Galo as he made the last pancake, and he realized before long that he was staring vacantly.

“Like what you see?” Galo quipped.

“Shut up.” Lio averted his gaze as he heard Galo squeeze an undoubtedly ridiculous amount of whipped cream onto the stack of pancakes, followed by what had to be the chocolate sauce. He wasn’t allowed to look away for long before the plate was shoved almost directly in his face, with the silverware thrust to the side of the plate like an afterthought.

“Mission complete!” Galo declared, obnoxiously spraying some whipped cream directly into his mouth. “C’mon, eat up! Think of it like… filling up on warm feelings, or something.”

“When you put it that way…” Lio stared at the stack of pancakes, which was indeed slathered in whipped cream and chocolate sauce. “Well, might as well get to it.” He took a cautious little bite of pancake, making sure to choose a spot adequately covered in whipped cream and chocolate, and the sweetness flooded his taste buds. For a moment, he thought that every metaphorical light in his system turned on at once. The pancake itself was surprisingly sweet and fluffy, though Lio wasn’t sure what he expected on that front, as Galo was determined to get cooking done right the first time every time.

Galo gave himself another spritz of whipped cream. “So, what’cha think?”

“It’s… perfect,” Lio said, the word sliding out after some hesitation. He took another bite, this time bigger and with less of a pause. After a third bite, he couldn’t help himself, and before he knew it he was chowing down on the pancakes with gusto.

“I love watching you go to town on my cooking,” Galo said, grinning and finally setting the damned can of whipped cream down in front of Lio. “It’s just so… cute!”

Lio paused briefly and realized that he had annihilated half the stack with a quickness. “Sh-shut up,” he mumbled, continuing to stuff his face with delicious pancake goodness.

“I don’t hear you denying it,” Galo said as he made his way over to Lio’s side. “Slow down a bit though, yeah? Choking on this stuff would ruin everything right now.”

Lio gave an ambivalent “Mmph” noise and continued his feeding frenzy. He probably didn’t need to go this hard, but he found that keeping his mouth full pushed the dark thoughts away and cleared his frustrations. Soon enough, his fork his an empty plate. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Galo laughed and gave Lio’s shoulder a solid pat. “Feeling better now?”

Lio evaluated himself, and concluded that he was indeed feeling better, if mildly embarrassed over the fact that he’d just tucked away a decent-sized stack of pancakes like it was nothing. “Yes.”

“Good!” Galo leaned into Lio, embracing him from behind. “Lemme give you one more squeeze so you can really feel warm and fuzzy.”

“Yes, yes, I feel it, you’re warming me with your burning soul, I got it,” Lio muttered, one stray chuckle escaping even as he tried to dismiss his partner’s affections.

“You can’t even be sarcastic with a straight face right now,” Galo said, giving Lio another squeeze. He leaned in close, and his tone softened. “Look. No more cold thoughts, no more sad thoughts. Got it? I told you I’d put out the haters if they tried to give you any guff. I’ll see to that personally.”

It hadn’t occurred to Lio that thoughts could be cold, though he understood what Galo was getting at. “I’ll try and keep my thoughts warm for you.”

Galo’s hands snaked downward. “Good,” he murmured, only to utterly ruin the moment by giving Lio’s tummy a poke. “Hah, maybe I made a little too much for you?”

Lio sputtered and flailed a little in Galo’s hold. “Don’t poke me there!”

Galo released Lio and patted him on the head. “It’s true! I swear, every time you let yourself go all out on a meal, you look like a snake that swallowed something too big. It’s kind of cute.” Reverting to his typical lack of sense, he poked the former Burnish leader’s tummy again. “It’s fun to poke you and make you squirm about it, too!”

“Shut up! I don’t need you making me worry about getting fat!” Lio folded his arms and pouted, drawing his legs in slightly to protect his vulnerable underbelly.

“Oh, shush, I’m sure it’ll be fine. It’s probably impossible for someone like you to get fat, anyway.” This time, Galo went in for a hardcore hair ruffle.

“Just when I think you might not be a total idiot, you do this,” Lio whined as he tried to put his hair back in order.

Galo laughed and pointed to himself. “That’s right! The universe’s number one firefighting idiot, baby! You know you love it.”

“Whatever,” Lio groaned as he put his head in his hands. He looked over to the side, and something occurred to him. “I do have one question for you, if you’re willing to quit stuffing me full of warm fuzzies for a second.”

“What?” Galo leaned over to make eye contact with Lio.

“Are you ever going to put clothes on today?”

“Wait, I never got dressed?!”

Lio flashed a grin. “No. Go put on some pants, and then I’ll see about making you a little breakfast magic of my own. I’ve been told I make a decent pepper omelet.”

Galo beamed right back and scratched the back of his head as he headed back to the bedroom. “You’re on! Looking forward to it. Better make it a hot one.”

“You’re on,” Lio echoed, watching his partner go. Even though the day had gotten off to a rocky start, Galo’s sheer warmth gave Lio confidence that he and the others would be able to pull through no matter what was thrown at them. With a belly full of good feelings, he felt stable enough to move forward.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic actually came about as a reaction to a friend's much darker fic, because somehow my headspace characters catch wind of what happens to them several continuities away. I felt a need to make something cute and warm to make up for that. What can I say, I like seeing Lio being taken care of... he needs a decent meal, a warm place to stay, and some serious therapy.


End file.
